


Imprisoned

by Lady_Ganesh



Category: Saiyuki
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Challenge Response, Community: Weiss v Saiyuki, M/M, Minus Wave, prisoner and jailer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-07
Updated: 2013-10-07
Packaged: 2017-12-29 07:25:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1002608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Ganesh/pseuds/Lady_Ganesh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gojyo's been outrunning the Minus Wave, but you can't run forever. (AU where Gonou's fellow villagers were just a teensy bit smarter.)</p><p>Written for Week One, "We Met as Enemies" at <a href="http://weissvsaiyuki.livejournal.com/">Weiss v Saiyuki.</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	Imprisoned

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to [](http://lindentreeisle.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://lindentreeisle.livejournal.com/)**lindentreeisle** for betaing.

Morning came like a knock in the head and a knife in his guts.

Gojyo's head was throbbing. The cell was cold and dingy. Of course it was, it was a fucking cell. He pulled his knees under his body and sat up. The cell was completely empty, aside from a metal bench riveted to the wall. He wished they'd at least given him some fucking water.

Someone was approaching. They had the decency to walk softly. "Ah," a soft, almost meek voice called. "You're awake?"

"Yeah," Gojyo said, scratching at the back of his head. There was blood matted into his hair.

"Mostly."

"I apologize for the conditions," he said. "The other villagers have been badly frightened by the Minus Wave. Would you like coffee? Or water?"

"Um, yeah," Gojyo said. "Both maybe? And a washcloth or something? I reek."

"That can be arranged. Your name is Gojyo?"

"Yeah."

The man who had been walking toward him became a little clearer in the half-light. He was pretty good-looking. Thin, his eyes hidden behind glasses. "I'm Cho Hakkai, I teach at the school nearby."

"How'd you end up my jailer?"

A soft chuckle. "As I said. The others have been rather frightened by the Minus Wave. I was the only man willing to tend you, so here I am." He shrugged. "I'm afraid we have little crime here, so no one pays much attention to the condition of the cells. I'll be back with what you need."

 _Don't leave yet,_ Gojyo wanted to say, but he did need the water and coffee. And washcloth. He scanned the cell again; there was nowhere to piss. He'd have to ask for a bucket or something. Shit.

Fucking Minus Wave. Without that, he'd be doing fine, still in his little house, drinking good beer, gambling for his groceries, taking a different pretty girl to bed every night. Instead, he had to watch every fucking move he made. He'd started wearing sunglasses most of the time, just in case, and he spent half a fucking day every month dying his hair black.

He'd never been ashamed of who he was, really. It was awkward when people spotted it, and he'd never really felt like he belonged anywhere, but it wasn't so bad. Manageable. But now he looked over his shoulder every minute, hoping he could find a place where he could hunker down without someone looking at him and screaming _youkai._ Even in a tiny podunk town like this one, someone had spotted him. Normally they just ran him out of town, but this had turned into a fight. He was probably lucky just to be alive. And the youkai...every one of them he'd seen for months had lost their fucking minds. There was no one to turn to any more.

His jailer returned, and Gojyo found himself wiping his face down and smoothing his sticky, matted hair. He felt stupid.

"I brought a bucket for you as well," Hakkai said, unlocking the cell. "Please, if you attempt to escape, you'll just be making things more difficult for us both." He opened the bars just enough to pass the bucket through. Gojyo took it, feeling a pulse of gratitude that there was a roll of toilet paper in there too. "And here's the bin for you to wash in."

The water was lukewarm, which was better than the stone cold Gojyo had expected. "Thanks," he said. 

"I'll be back with the coffee and water," Hakkai said. "Would you like any food yet? With the blow to your head, I wasn't sure...."

"Maybe, I dunno, just some toast or something."

Hakkai nodded and disappeared again.

Gojyo picked up the sponge and washed as best he could, used the bucket, washed again.

He smelled the coffee as he was finishing the second wash, so he hauled ass to get his pants on before Hakkai reappeared. They repeated the 'open the door just enough' procedure to get the water and coffee through the door. "I can take...the bucket and empty it," Hakkai said.

Gojyo felt gratitude wash over him again. "Thanks," he said, and gulped down some coffee before he handed the bucket over to Hakkai. "So how come you're not afraid of me?"

Hakkai took the bucket from him delicately, wrinkling his nose. "I suppose I have seen enough youkai in my time to not be particularly concerned. Or enough madmen."

Hakkai left at that, leaving Gojyo to sip his coffee, nibble at his toast -- which was actually pretty decent, for toast -- and wonder what the fuck he'd meant by that.

"So, um," Gojyo asked at what he assumed must be lunchtime, when Hakkai came back with something in a covered dish. "You're a teacher?"

"Yes," Hakkai said, nodding. "Fortunately, the harvest is well underway, and I'm not required much this time of year."

"So you get to hang out with me instead, huh?"

The corners of Hakkai's mouth turned up. It wasn't exactly a smile. "A pleasure for us both, I'm sure." He handed the dish and a spoon to Gojyo. Gojyo noted that he wasn't as careful about the door this time.

"What are you guys planning on doing with me?"

Hakkai sighed. "I suggested that, if we are to insist on keeping you imprisoned, we take a few days to ensure that you are neither violent nor dangerous -- aside from the fact that, when cornered by two men with knives, you are rather capable in a fight -- and then exile you to another town. I believe, if you act sufficiently non-violent, I can get them to agree to this course of action."

"Okay," he said. Hakkai had a nice way of saying _don't try to escape or you could be completely screwed._ Gojyo appreciated that.

He appreciated the smell that greeted him when he opened the lid even more. "Shit, what is this?"

"Ah, just a fall stew," Hakkai said modestly. "Nothing too much."

"Smells amazing," Gojyo said. It tasted good too, little bit of garlic, some other spices he couldn't identify. Big slices of carrot and squash. "Shit, you're a lucky guy, if your wife cooks like this for you all the time."

Hakkai's once-friendly face shut off. "I'm not-- I'm afraid I'm not married. The stew is my own cooking."

"Oh, shit, sorry," he said. "It's really good--"

But Hakkai had already turned away, his footsteps echoing down the hallway.

Hakkai was calm when he returned to the cell for dinner. "I hope you don't mind more of the same," he said coldly, as he handed Gojyo another warm clay dish and took the empty one from Gojyo's hands. "Is your bucket....?"

"Um, yeah, I could use a clean one I guess." Gojyo didn't know much about the etiquette of buckets. The worst he'd ever seen was the local drunk tank, which usually had its own toilet, and you were usually out of there by morning. There was that one time when he was running with Banri, but he'd been young enough then that the warden's wife had given him rabbit stew and called him 'darling.' Gojyo guessed this guy wasn't going to call him 'darling.'

"Well, er, I suppose it would be better if I took it out before you ate."

"It's okay," Gojyo said. "I'm just glad to have the thing."

"Yes," Hakkai said, and Gojyo could almost make out his blush, even in the dim light. "I'll just --"

"I'm not gonna go anywhere," Gojyo said. Not yet anyway. "They'd raise holy hell if you didn't come out of here in ten minutes anyway, right?"

"Heh, yes, I suppose there is that," Hakkai said, and there was a certain darkness in his voice that Gojyo wanted to know more about. What was behind that? "At any rate, your honesty is appreciated." _I expect it to be honesty,_ the tone said, and if Gojyo had harbored any doubt the guy really was a schoolteacher, it was gone now.

Gojyo stood well back from the door so Hakkai could remove the bucket and leave the stew. "Smells great," Gojyo said, and it did, especially with the bucket gone.

"I'll clean this out for you," Hakkai said, regarding the bucket dubiously. "I do apologize for this."

Gojyo just shrugged. "Is what it is, right?"

The night passed quietly enough, though Gojyo kept having weird dreams about the sun, and his jailer, and a wild creature with burning yellow eyes. He'd wake up, take a few seconds to figure out if his brain had been picturing sex or violence, shake it off, and try sleeping again. Still, it was a step up from an angry youkai-hating mob trying to kill him.

Hakkai would probably talk them into letting him go. He seemed pretty persuasive. Though Gojyo wondered what would happen if they didn't. He could probably take Hakkai; the guy was as skinny as Gojyo, and he was a schoolteacher, for fuck's sake. But Gojyo didn't really want to hurt him, and he had no plans for what might happen after he walked out of the cell door.

Hakkai had fried eggs and sausage in the morning. He looked exhausted.

"That smells awesome," Gojyo said.

Hakkai's face eased a bit at that, and his face took on a softer expression. "Thank you. I suppose we need to exchange buckets; I brought you a fresh one."

"Thanks," he said, stepping back and sticking his fork into his breakfast while Hakkai switched out the buckets. "Shit, I've never tasted eggs like this."

"They're just eggs," Hakkai said. "I suspect it's more your current state of deprivation than any skill on my part."

Whatever it was, it didn't matter. "They're still good."

"Well, thank you." The corner of Hakkai's mouth twitched up slightly.

"How's it going out there? They still, uh, think I'm armed and dangerous?"

Hakkai's smile froze. "I'm afraid I'm still making my case. But I'm sure we'll come to an appropriate arrangement."

"Great," Gojyo said, sitting back down on the metal bench that was chair, cot, and probably the place they'd lay him out on if they decided to kill him. At least he'd get some good meals before he shuffled off to the next life.

The days after that passed slowly, but not as unpleasantly as they might have. Hakkai came down often, bringing magazines and news from the outside world. About a week in, he brought a pack of cards, and proceeded to kick Gojyo’s ass at poker.

“You mark these cards?” Gojyo said, squinting at them.

“Ah, I’m afraid not. I seem to have a certain gift at cards. Luck, I suppose.”

Hakkai was easy to talk to, and Gojyo found himself talking a lot. Little things, mostly, about cards, about his life before the Minus Wave, the little house he’d left behind. At some point, more, deeper memories spilled out: his parents, Jien. Mom dying.

Hakkai didn’t judge. Hakkai just listened, and talked sometimes, but not much. Sometimes they just sat and played cards in silence, and that was pretty good too.

Gojyo started having trouble keeping track of the days, but he’d figured a month or so had passed on the day Hakkai came down with breakfast and an anxious frown. "What's up?"

Hakkai handed over the plate of eggs (over easy, the way he'd realized Gojyo liked them) and bacon with a grimace. "I'm afraid the situation has...changed."

This was bad enough news Gojyo almost stopped eating, but he was starving. "Changed how?"

"There is a traveling priest in the area," Hakkai said, busying himself with the buckets and turning around the corner to wash his hands. "As I have been rather...unsuccessful in persuading the villagers, we have decided to leave it to his wisdom. The rumors indicate he may be traveling with a youkai companion. I thought...honestly, I thought it was our best hope."

 _Our,_ Gojyo thought, even as something twisted in his stomach. "Yeah," he said. "Probably."

"There is a chance I am already acquainted with him. If that is the case, this might be easier. But if things become...difficult, I will do my best to--" Hakkai swallowed hard. "I will not let you die here, Sha Gojyo."

"Well, um, thanks," Gojyo said. "I wish...." He stuffed some more bacon in his mouth, because he didn't know what he wished any more. “Thanks for breakfast, it's good. Really good. And. You know. Playing cards and all that shit. I appreciate it."

"There's nothing to be grateful for. It was the least I could offer, under the circumstances." Hakkai's mouth tilted in what Gojyo was beginning to realize was a smile. "I confess, you've helped the harvest season pass far more quickly."

Gojyo smiled back. "That's something, I guess. I'm sorry it all...I don't know."

Hakkai sat next to him. "I'm sorry as well."

"You're good company," Gojyo said. "And you're a damn good cook."

Hakkai chuckled. "Thank you, Gojyo. It's been a very long time since I could just...be with someone."

"Yeah?"

Hakkai shrugged. "I was raised in an orphanage. I suppose...I never made friends easily, and I was hardly an exemplary altar boy. I counted the days until I could leave there and live on my own."

Gojyo nodded, letting him continue.

"Unfortunately, the world outside the orphanage was not so different. Until...." He sighed. "When I was reunited with my sister, everything changed. It was like I had found the missing half of my soul." His eyes had gone dreamy and distant. "I hope you won't judge me, but...I fell in love with her."

"I've heard it happens sometimes," Gojyo said, carefully.

"We moved here," he continued. Gojyo wasn't even sure he was talking to Gojyo at all any more. "I thought I had found my happiness. We couldn't be married, of course, but I had the job at the school. It was a good life. Quiet, of course, but with her...I had all I needed. Do you understand?"

Gojyo did, a little. "I never...I never had anything like that, but yeah."

"Some years before the Minus Wave, the minions of Hyakugen Maoh came to our village. They...demanded a young woman for their lord." Gojyo saw the hot anger flash over Hakkai's face.  


"So what happened?” Gojyo asked.

"I was playing with the children -- I would not have known that she was in any danger at all, if one of the villagers hadn't come for me. By the time I reached my home, she was already gone. I persuaded the villagers to fight back. We were successful, but it was a long and difficult struggle, and...well. Kanan lost her life."

"I'm sorry," Gojyo said. He put his empty plate down on the cell floor.

"She would rather have died free than as a slave," Hakkai said. "Especially in light of...." He shuddered a little. "I wish I could have spared her all of it, though."

"Yeah," Gojyo said. "I get that." He hadn't thought about his parents in a long time, but there was a flash of empathy in his mind. They'd probably thought something like that.

"At any rate," Hakkai said, "the balance in our community...I suppose things have never quite been the same since then. They will listen to me to a point, but...." He shook his head.

"It's cool," Gojyo said, and put a hand on Hakkai's arm. "You did what you could. Maybe this priest dude will be okay."

Hakkai sighed and leaned back against the stone wall of the cell. "We can hope," he said.

That night, Gojyo’s dreams were full of Hakkai; Hakkai’s eyes, his mouth, his hands. He scrubbed extra hard in the morning, like Hakkai would be able to tell somehow.

Hakkai didn’t seem to notice anything at all though; he was pretty lost in his own thoughts as he gave Gojyo breakfast and shackled his wrists to bring him out of the cell for judgment. “I am so sorry for this,” he said, turning the key in the lock.

“Eh,” Gojyo said. “Least I get to go topside.”

The priest was the hottest guy Gojyo'd ever seen, and he'd had Hakkai bringing him clean water and hot meals for weeks. Porcelain skin, violet eyes, blond, blond hair. Too bad all that pretty was wasted on a serious glower. He was ignoring everyone in favor of the petition the village elders had handed him. "So what, exactly, do you want me to do?"

The town father - Gojyo couldn't remember what his name was - stood up again. "He's half-youkai, Lord Sanzo. The Minus Wave has destroyed so many innocents. How can we let him remain in our village?"

The priest pushed his reading glasses up on his nose. "And you can't throw him out because...?"

"Lord Sanzo," he said. "Is it responsible to take a rabid dog from your village and place it in the town square of another?"

Lord Sanzo glared at Gojyo over his glasses. "He doesn't look rabid. You foaming at the mouth, Sha Gojyo?"

"Only when a pretty girl goes by," Gojyo said easily. Someone near the back twittered. The priest just glared.

"Lord Sanzo." That was Hakkai, his voice deliberately gentle. "I believe it's clear to many of us that the safest and most ethical course of action is simply to exile Mr. Sha. I have guarded his cell since the day he was captured, and he has shown no violent tendencies toward me or anyone else. Which would be more than understandable, given the circumstances he is in. He is guilty of nothing."

"Oh," the priest said wryly, "I'm sure he's guilty of something, but he certainly seems sane enough to me. You feel sane, Sha Gojyo?"

"Sure," he said. He waved his hand, as well as he could with the cuffs on. "Look, no claws, either. I'm only half-youkai anyway."

"'Only' half," someone said. "Like being half a--" Something crossed his face. He glanced at Hakkai for a moment and changed course. "Half a rabid dog," he muttered.

"I'm not a rabid dog," Gojyo protested. "I'm just...I'm just me."

"We can't trust him," another person said.

"I'll leave," Gojyo said.

"Yeah, but what happens after that? When are you going to stop? You think you'll find someplace that doesn't know what your eyes mean and hope for the best?"

 _It worked for a long time,_ Gojyo thought defiantly. "Won't be your problem."

"We're humans," the first man said. "It's our problem."

"How the fuck do you think he got those red eyes?" the priest interjected. "Are you so stupid you don’t remember what the _other_ half is?"

The man finally fell silent at that.

"Well," the priest said, "since it's obvious you shouldn't be left with this man in your custody, I'll take him out of town when I go."

The woman looked concerned. "Won't you stay with us a bit longer, Lord Sanzo? Your protection...."

The priest looked supremely unimpressed. "My protection won't be worth much if a youkai horde comes calling. And I have other work to do in the West. Your hospitality is appreciated, but I'll be gone in the morning." He got up and strode out, lighting a cigarette as he went. Gojyo's hands ached for one.

"He stays in the cell until then," the town father said.

"Of course," Hakkai said, and took Gojyo by the arm. "I apologize,” he said, when they were out of earshot. “But I suppose this is the best we could expect.”

"Nah, it's cool. Don't suppose you could get me--" He looked hopefully after Sanzo’s trail of smoke.

"No," Hakkai said, gently steering him, "I don't believe I could."

 _I would fucking kill for a cigarette right now,_ he wanted to say, but boy would that be a dumbshit thing to say under the circumstances. It was kind of true, though. Gojyo let himself focus on Hakkai's fingers on his arm. Warmth, gentle pressure. Damn, he felt good.

There was no good way to say 'hey, do you want to make out before I leave forever,' was there? Shit.

Hakkai unlocked his handcuffs when they got back to the cell. "Another game of cards before dinner, perhaps?"

"Yeah, that sounds--"

"Cho Hakkai."

They both jumped at the voice; that asshole priest snuck in like a goddamned cat. "Yes," Hakkai said, and there was an uncertainty in his voice Gojyo'd never heard before.

He leaned against the bars and lit a fresh cigarette. "There's still the matter of the castle."

"Yes," Hakkai said. "I know."

"Anyone want to clue me in? Or at least give me something to smoke?"

The priest looked at him like he was an annoyance, but he lit a second smoke and handed it to Gojyo. The first puff felt like an orgasm he'd been waiting for for months. "Thanks," he said.

"When we went to battle against Hyakugen Maoh," Hakkai said, softly, "and Kanan was killed, I...led the assault."

"You, in fact," Sanzo said, "killed most of the people there."

Hakkai sighed. "In fact, I did."

"At the time," Sanzo said, "we came to a compromise. Of sorts."

"Yes."

"I'm going West to try to stop this thing."

"Then I'm coming with you?"

The priest dipped his chin in acknowledgment. "Damned if I know what keeps you in this shithole anyway."

Hakkai shrugged. "I was happy here, once. That was enough, for a long time."

Gojyo had a lot more questions, but they were hard to keep straight in the pleasure of his nicotine haze. Plus, there was something running toward his cell at what sounded like a hundred miles an hour. "Sanzo," it said, as it resolved into a short kid wearing a...was that a power limiter? "Sanzo, we've got trouble."

"What?"

"Youkai, moving in fast." It _was_ a power limiter. The kid was somewhere between twelve and seventeen, hard to say. Dark hair, gold eyes -- gold eyes, hadn't he dreamt about those? "We have to get to them before they hit the village."

"Yeah," he said, pulling a gun -- a _gun?_ \-- out of his robes. "I know."

"I sure as fuck never met a priest like you before," Gojyo observed.

Hakkai smiled at him, that odd, brittle smile. "You have no idea. I suppose I should join the fray?"

"Get some practice in," Goku said. "You're gonna need it."

"I suppose I've gotten a bit rusty," Hakkai said.

Gojyo saw where this was going. "You assholes can't leave me here."

"I think it's probably the wisest course of action," Hakkai said carefully.

"Yeah," Sanzo said. "Even if you're on the winning side, I don't think these podunk assholes will want to see you with a knife in your hand."

Gojyo wanted to object, but he knew they were right. "At least you brought down a new magazine yesterday, right?"

"Do enjoy it," Hakkai said, and then they were all gone, leaving Gojyo to try to smoke his single cigarette as slowly as possible.

It didn't really work. It was quiet for a long time, and Gojyo wished he'd thought to have Hakkai uncuff him. 

He was flipping through the magazine - it was some bullshit about fine dining, like he gave a shit about table settings - when he heard the footsteps coming. The kid, maybe?

It wasn’t the kid. It was one of the guys from the village, snarling, his shirt soaked in blood. “You,” he spat. “You tipped them off! This is your fault!"

"Hey," Gojyo said, standing up and backing against the stone wall, as far away from the bars as he could get. "Just, let's just talk about it, okay? I've been locked up here for weeks, right? Just breathe. Just--"

"Shut the hell up!" the man screamed. "You're a filthy fucking youkai, and we should've put you to death the minute we realized you were here. Fucking Hakkai. He's gone soft. When we stormed Hyakugen Maoh’s castle, he led the ranks. And here he is protecting you. It's disgusting."

"Yeah," Gojyo said, trying to look unthreatening, "maybe it is...how's it going out there?"

"It's over," he spat. "We won. But my son--he's gone. Lin's gone. And you're gonna pay for that. This is all your fault." He held a knife up; it looked like a kitchen knife. A really, really sharp kitchen knife. The edge caught the dull light from the cell. "You gonna die like a man, or like the disgusting animal you are?"

Gojyo was searching for the right way to say _rather not die at all, thanks_ when he heard the gun cock. He and the other guy both froze. You don't fuck around when someone's pointing a gun in your direction.

"Shit," Sanzo said, and Gojyo heard his sandals hitting the stone of the hallway. "Not enough death for you today, Wei?"

"My son," Wei said, his knife still hanging in the air. "What's he got to say about my son?"

"Your son," Sanzo said, walking closer, "is dead. Do you think throwing that knife will bring him back?"

 _Well shit,_ Gojyo thought. He hadn't even thought about Wen _throwing_ the fucking thing, but that was exactly how he was holding the blade. There still wasn't a hell of a lot of room to dodge in the cell.

Wei stood firm. "It'll stop him from bringing others. From destroying any more villages."

"Gojyo," called Hakkai, his footsteps faster and heavier than Sanzo's. "Gojyo, are you--"

"Just stay still," Sanzo said, more of a command than a statement. "Both of you."

Wei shook his head. "No," he said. "We've suffered enough. First Hyakugen Maoh went after our women. Now they want to destroy all of us. No more. We have to stop it somewhere."

Sanzo snorted. "If you think killing that poor bastard will stop anything, you've lost your mind."

Gojyo glared at him.

The priest ignored it. "Put the knife down, Wei. Your son needs burial, not vengeance."

"He'll get both," Wei said. "You think I'm alone? We all know what caused this. You may be a Sanzo priest, but you're pretty fucking naive about the world."

Sanzo made a noise in his throat that might have been a chuckle. "I'm not sure you needed the youkai to destroy this village," he said.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You've lost your schoolteacher," Sanzo said. "He was the loudest, but he wasn't the only one. The others, the ones who don’t trust you? They’re already gone. The Minus Wave has destroyed their trust in the youkai, but your trust in each other is fading too. How many children do you have, Wei? Who is caring for them now? Who will bandage their wounds and dry their tears?"

"They're fine," Wei said, but his voice was wavering now.

"You're sure?"

Wei looked between Sanzo and Gojyo, his face wavering like a raging river. "When he kills you," he said to Sanzo, his arm finally lowering, "you remember this."

Sanzo rolled his eyes after the man left. "You'd better unlock him," he said. "He's right that he won't be the last."

"Shit," Gojyo said. "How many people got hurt?"

"It wasn't too bad," Hakkai said, rushing to the cell and unlocking it. "I am sorry for the young men, but if they had stayed back...."

Sanzo shrugged. "Can't stop people from wanting to kill themselves." He reached into his sleeve and pulled out his cigarettes and lighter. "Want one?"

 _More than anything,_ Gojyo thought. "Yeah, that sounds good."

Sanzo smirked, a knowing addict's grin, and lit two. They weren't Gojyo's brand - too expensive for that - but it still tasted like paradise.

Hakkai was working on the cuffs on his wrists when the shots came through the window.

The first thing Gojyo noticed was that the wind had been knocked out of him. Then the spreading pain in his ribs hit.

"Gojyo," Hakkai said, and Gojyo heard the undercurrent of panic in his voice. "Gojyo, hold still--"

"Hakkai," Sanzo said, a warning in his voice. "Hakkai--"

It was hard to see now, not just hard to breathe. He was bleeding. Huh.

Someone had their hands on his chest. Probably trying to stop the bleeding.

When had he landed on the ground? Why was he so cold? He could probably figure it out if the screaming would stop. Maybe if he closed his eyes he'd be all right.

He tried it.

 

Gojyo woke in the back of a moving car, with his ribs hurting like a bitch and his stomach wanting to do backflips.

"Sorry we couldn't wait for you to get any better," the kid said. "Hakkai said you're in pretty good shape, though you're gonna ache for a while."

"What the shit happened to me?"

"Some asshole took a shot at you through the bars. Lot of blood." The kid looked funny for a second. "Lot of blood."

"What...what're we doing?"

"Getting the fuck out of that shithole," Sanzo said from the front, lighting a cigarette. Gojyo reached into the front for one, but Hakkai said, with that mild tone that hid knives, "You shouldn't smoke right now. In fact, Sanzo shouldn't really be smoking in front of you."

"'M outside," Sanzo said, and Gojyo hated him intensely for a second.

"What the hell is going on?"

"Things got a bit...complicated after you were shot," Hakkai said. There was something different about him. He sounded the same, so what was it? Gojyo tried to sit up a little more to get a better look, but his ribs told him that was a fucking stupid idea.

"Keep talking," Gojyo said.

"Well, of course, Sanzo was already planning to travel to the West, so we just--"

"The village was lying to him," the kid said, flatly. "He didn't take it well."

"And they were hoarding holy weapons."

"And they were hoarding holy weapons," Hakkai repeated. "And that ceramic jar, and several other...well, I'm not entirely sure what else. Do you know, Sanzo?"

"No clue." He took a long, delicious-looking drag. "It sure as fuck wasn't theirs."

"When they came to get me at the school...." Hakkai's voice was lost and sad. "They had already made the decision to give Kanan to Hyakugen Maoh. They decided I would take their decision...poorly."

"Which was true," Sanzo added.

Anger flared in Hakkai’s voice. "They still had no right--"

"Anyway," the kid interrupted. "You're bleeding all over the place, Hakkai's pissed, and Sanzo just starts waving his gun around and yelling, 'cause, you know, he's good at that--"

"Fuck you," Sanzo said genially.

"So we figure we better just grab you and get the hell out of there." The kid shrugged. "Oh, and then Hakkai...."

"It's all right," Hakkai said. "I suppose he'll realize soon enough."

"Hakkai...changed."

Hakkai turned his head to glance back at the kid, and Gojyo saw the light catching the limiters on his ears. _Oh._ "What the hell?"

"There is a legend," Hakkai said, "that if you bathe in the blood of ten thousand youkai you become one yourself."

"So you were--" _Wait._ Gojyo touched his ribs. "Was I--"

"I'm sure it was only a matter of time, Gojyo." Hakkai sighed. "The villagers chose to have me lead the raid into the castle, and...well. There was a reason Sanzo and I were already acquainted."

Sanzo and the kid were silent at that.

"My name was Gonou, then," Hakkai continued. "I was so angry...." He glanced back in the rearview mirror. "I suppose I was a different person. When I came back to the village...I thought I could resume a normal life." He chucked. "I should have known better."

"And hey, if you hadn't, who woulda fixed Gojyo's ribs?" the kid asked.

"You did that?" Gojyo touched his chest. He couldn't figure out exactly what had happened; he'd been shot, hadn't he? But there was just heat and pain there.

"He can heal with his chi," the kid said, bouncing a little in his seat. "And attack with it, too. He learned it at the temple. I still wanna know how to do it."

"It takes a good deal of concentration," Hakkai said. "I don't think you'd like it."

"Well, thanks," Gojyo said. "Anyway. You...saved my life, huh?"

Hakkai glanced back again, and for a moment his smile seemed warm and genuine. "I suppose I did."

"So anyway," Goku said. "We're going West. We're gonna stop the Minus Wave. Sanzo says we can drop you off when you're better, or you can just keep riding with us." He grinned. "Oh, and I'm Goku. Nice to meet ya. Sanzo made me stay outside the village to keep them from freaking out. Guess it didn't work, huh?"

Gojyo almost laughed, but his ribs started hurting as he chuckled. "Nah," he said. "I'm Gojyo."

"Yeah," Goku said. "I figured it out when Hakkai was screaming your name."

"I wasn't screaming," Hakkai said defensively. "I was trying to encourage him to stay conscious. Not that it did any good."

"You can say that again," Sanzo said, and Hakkai shot him a look that would have made him flinch, if he'd been paying any attention at all. He was looking at Gojyo instead. "Anyway, you it'll be a while before the next village. You can make your choice then."

"Nah," Gojyo said. Why bother kidding himself? "It's not gonna stop until you stop it, right? Until we stop it."

Sanzo nodded. Gojyo could feel his eyes. He was getting measured, and found damned close to completely inadequate. "All right," he said. "There's room for four in this thing, anyway."

"Please don't insult Jeep," Hakkai said. "He's quite sensitive."

Gojyo thought about asking what the hell _that_ meant, but sleep felt like a better alternative. He fell back asleep to the gentle rhythm of the road.


End file.
